THEWaterlineJanuary 2004

Sustainable Water Use for Utah's Future

Utah Water Conservation ForumP.O. 1255Salt Lake City, UT 84110

Put these events on your calendar:

Weber County Water Fair coming in April, 2004

Utah Irrigation Assn. Trade Show & Conference March 2, 2004

Water Conservation Tools & Techniques Annual Meeting of Forum & Conservation Coordinators Springville, UT (see article inside) March 3 & 4, 2004

Uinta Basin Water Conference Vernal, Utah February 3-4, 2004

Utah Water Users Workshop St. George, Utah March 9-10, 2004

Large Water User Workshops hosted by sponsors in several locations each Tuesday starting in April

Irrigation Contractor Certification Hosted by Sandy City Parks February 4, 2004

Garden Fairs, Classes, and Demonstrations--throughout the irrigation season and throughout Utah. Many exciting Water Conservation events and opportunities are coming this year!

December 4, 2003, Utah Water Users and the Utah Water Conservation Forum met in the tenth annual Utah Water Summit. Although no one will be able to pronounce the drought over for several months yet, the tone was upbeat and positive as the current status of water supplies was reviewed and projections were offered for the coming growing season.

Ray Wilson from the NRCS Snotel team and Brian McInerney of the National Weather Service displayed charts and graphs to demonstrate the severity of the last year's water shortages. Wes Quinten of the Utah Farm Bureau outlined the impact of the drought on Utah's farm economy, including the shifts in crops and meat production as low-water-need products are sought. Bob Morgan, Director of Utah's Department of Natural Resources, showed slides of drought-killed sagebrush and other forage, which will have serious effects on winter range for deer and other wildlife. John Sullivan, president of the National Water Resources Association, gave the keynote address, touching on the entire western region's experience with long-term water shortages. Members of the Forum representing the state, a water district, a business, and a municipality held a panel discussion on the benefits of

pooling ideas and expertise in order to encourage water conservation. Stephanie Duer of Salt Lake City, Pam Gill of the Kearns Improvement District, Lyle Summers from West Jordan City, and Ron Thompson of the Washington County Water Conservancy District discussed the ongoing challenges of modifying water rate structures for fairness and conservation. Utah Water Resource Director Larry Anderson concluded the Summit with a description of activities of the Governor's Water Conservation Task Force. On hand was Cindy Gubler of Vanguard Media, who has directed the water conservation media campaign for the last three summers. Whether or not this year's snow is plentiful and enough to slake the state's thirst, the push to teach careful, prudent water use will continue. We can look forward to continued reductions in per capita water use as we teach sound water conservation principles during the coming year.

Living with Drought2003 Utah Water Summit

Annual Meeting & Coordinators' Conference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

The Forum's corporate members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Otto Bonn--new conservation video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Coming Events . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Inside -

Newsletter of the Utah Water Conservation Forum

Board of DirectorsKelly Kopp - PresidentUtah State University

Molly Waters - Vice PresidentUtah DNR Water Resources

Greg Graves - TreasurerBingham Engineering

Cathy Myers-Roche - Exec SecretaryUtah State University

Thomas Ward - Past PresidentSalt Lake City Public Utilities

Board MembersJoe WhittakerUS Bureau of Reclamation

Franci DeLongXeriscape Design

Paula MohadjerJordan Valley Water Conservancy District

Alan LongSprinkler World

Diane JonesUtah Nursery & Landscape Assn.

Julie BreckenridgeWashington County Water Conservancy District

Duane DeveyJordan School District

Gene Shawcroft/Nancy HardmanCentral Utah Water Conservancy District

Kevin PaceLDS Church Facilities Management

Scott PaxmanWeber Basin Water Conservancy District

Stephanie DuerSLC Public Utilities

Mike WilsonMetro Water District SLS

Darrel EvensenForsgren & Associates

UTAH WATERCONSERVATION FORUMP.O. Box 1255Salt Lake City, UT 84110www.utahwaterforum.org

You hear that oh-so-familiar music. You see the silhouetted figure slink across your vision. Suddenly cross-hairs appear … and a gunshot! But something's wrong. For one thing, its head is too big.

Oh, that's the other Bonn. Otto Bonn. A creation of the Bureau of Reclamation's water conservation group, Utah State University Extension, and

the Utah Division of Water Resources, Otto Bonn is cousin to Reclamation's twenty-five year old canal safety mascot, Otto Otter.

"We wanted to come up with something we thought would go well in the schools," says Reclamation videographer Stacey Smith, "so we created a water detective theme and patterned it on popular movies about kids and spies." The initial planning took about a month. Smith worked with Dr. Kelly Kopp of the USU Extension Service, Molly Waters and Rick Webster of the Utah Division of Water Resources, and Reclamation Provo Area Office Water Conservation Group members Janice Richardson and Joe Whittaker.

Otto Bonn - License to ConserveDon Merrill - Public Involvement Specialist, Bureau of Reclamation - Provo Area Office

"After the scripts were written, we called some Salt Lake talent agencies and held auditions," says Whittaker. "We were looking for just the right mix of kids that could get across what we were trying to say. We ended up with four terrific kids."Two days of shooting at the beginning of the school year made things a little hectic sometimes. The four actors; Jake Evans, Ashley Doyle,

Dakota Childs, and Kiersten Pike--had dozens of scene and dialogue changes but handled them like pros. And of course, none of it would've been possible without support from sponsors like Ogio Bags, LMS Limosine, and Hubble Homes. "And Brett Rhees's cool car," says Whittaker. (Rhees is Central Utah Project liaison for the Provo Area Office and drives a 2003 Chevrolet Camero that was used as Otto's "Spy Car").

Now that the piece is finished, it will be sent to all schools and libraries throughout the state. "We see real benefit in this effort," says Waters. "Studies show that kids remember stuff they learn early about conservation. And they'll be the decision makers of tomorrow. So, if we can have a part in helping to teach them to use water better, why not?"Otto Bonn-License to Conserve was funded in part by a contribution from the Utah Water Conservation Forum. Production will be completed during February. Copies will be sent to schools and libraries throughout Utah. For information on receiving copies for personal use and distribution, please call Joe Whittaker, 801-379-1169.

The combined Utah Water Conservation Forum Annual Meeting and Water Conservation Coordinators' second annual Meeting will be held March 3rd and 4th at the Maple View Plaza in Springville, 940 South 2000 West (west of I-15, exit 263). Beginning at 8:00 am each day and concluding at 4:30 pm, sessions will cover subjects from the technological side of water conservation, sprinkler system parts, controllers, and installing city-wide secondary systems, to the human side of dealing with customers and encouraging the best efforts of employees.

Cost of the Meeting and Conference is $25 for Forum members and $55 for non-members (payment includes a one-year Forum membership) and covers two lunches and a golf shirt. For more information, contact Joe Whittaker at 801-379-1169 or Molly Waters at 801-538-7254.

Those who join the Utah Water Conservation Forum as a business, government, or non-profit entity may rightfully "brand" Forum brochures and other materials with their own logos. We are thankful to our corporate sponsors for their support; great projects like our videos, brochures, garden tour, and conferences would not be possible without input from our membership. We also think the public should know which organizations are actively involved in promoting water conservation. Here are some of our corporate members–let us show off your business' logo in this good company!

Where's Your Logo?

WaterPro

Center forWater-Efficient

Landscaping

WaterConservation

tools & techniques

Forum & Conservation Coordinators meeting

Cooperative Water Conservation Efforts Are Blooming!A variety of water conservation projects are gearing

up for big results this coming growing season. The plant tagging project spearheaded by Utah DNR/Water Resources, with input from plant experts around the state, is moving toward its second season. Lists of water-wise plants have been reviewed and edited to reflect the experience of horticulturists and conservation experts. The final list can be seen at www.waterwiseplants.utah.gov.

Central Utah Water Conservancy District has developed a "Virtual Demonstration Garden" to help

Utah gardeners choose water-wise plants by using a searchable database taken from USU's Waterwise Native Plants for Intermountain Landscapes. Located at www.cuwcd.com, the Garden includes plant-care tips and source information.

Plans are being made to repeat the successful Large Water User Workshops sponsored by Utah DNR, JVWCD, CUWCD, and others. The workshops will be held Tuesdays throughout the spring and summer and are open to the public.